Now that the Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot, the front office overhaul is far from done. Arthur Blank is implementing a new position, the president of football, and Falcons' legend Matt Ryan looks like the heavy frontrunner to be hired to the position, but no deal is set in stone yet.
Blank is well aware that the Dirty Birds still have to conduct a legit hiring process, which is beneficial since many of their president of football candidates are also people who will garner consideration for the GM vacancy—which is especially true for 49ers' executive Josh Williams, whom the Falcons requested to interview for the President of Football opening.
The #Falcons have sent a request to interview #49ers exec Josh Williams for President of Football job, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2026
He already has a GM interview lined up with #Dolphins and was a finalist for the #Jaguars GM last year.
Williams has been with the 49ers for 14 seasons and just finished his first as their director of scouting and football operations. He also has a GM interview lined up with the Dolphins and was a finalist for the Jags' general manager opening that went to James Gladstone, meaning he'll have more to come.
Falcons are starting to schedule interviews for their President of Football opening
Besides Ryan, Williams is the third known interview the Falcons have lined up for their President of Football job. They also requested to interview Bears' assistant GM Ian Cunningham, who will interview to become the franchise's new GM in the coming days, longtime Detroit Lions' COO Mike Disner, and Panthers' EVP Brandt Tills.
While Cunningham looks like the current frontrunner to be GM, the fact they're also considering him for a higher profile position is telling. Also, the fact that Williams has yet to be considered for the general manager opening is a bit puzzling, but it is still incredibly early in the hiring process.
With that said, it would be shocking if he doesn't interview soon, since interviews for this position can't be blocked, so the Falcons need to capitalize on this loophole in the hiring system with potential GM candidates like Williams and Cunningham.
Nowadays, there is a lot of discussion of teams interviewing certain candidates to check a box for the Rooney Rule, but neither of these instances feel like that's what this is. Despite his lack of executive experience, Ryan might still be the favorite, but that doesn't mean he's the only one being considered.
Williams is a candidate who has received extensive consideration for multiple openings in recent years, and the San Francisco front office has a good track record in recent years, so assuming Ryan accepts the President of Football position, he'll be a key name to watch in the ensuing GM search.